Sweet Savage Surrender (36 page)

Loving was just being with someone sometimes
, Skyraven thought
, then whispered to John,.
"This war,
it can not touch us if we do not let it.  If we always remember our love then so
mehow it must survive all...."

"I hope and pray that you are right."  For just a moment John held a doubt.  Had he done right in convincing these people to trust Chivington?  What if they were in someway betrayed?  He pushed the thought out of his mind.  Just as one of the Indians had said, soldiers would not make war upon unarmed people.  It was a thing that jus
t wasn't done, not even by an Indian hater like Chivington.

She started to talk with him about her grandfather's vision
of the white men
but thought better of it.  What good would it do but worry him now?  What was done was done.  As her grandfather said, no one could control the future. Instead
,
she snuggled against him.  They lost  track of time, forgot all else but that they were in love. Delicately, slowly they gave of themselves to each other.  They were woman and man coming toge
ther with passion, love and joy--ultimate joy at the beauty of their love
.  The night shattered into a thousand stars.
No more
words
were needed. T
he rhythm of their passion, the meeting of their gaze as they looked at each other said
it
all
.
  There was an old Arapaho saying that Skyraven thought of now. 
“
Le
t tomorrow take care of itself.”
             
             

Chapter Thirty-Seven
             
             

The sun glinted through a mist of rain the next morning as the tepees were pulled down, packed and loaded on pack horses and the travois. 
At last all that was left was a hodgepodge of bent branches, rocks, and stakes.
All the women worked together with the regulation and cadence acquired by people who were constantly on the move.  John Hanlen was surprised at just how quickly and easily the process was accomplished.

"I wish that the men in my command could be as disciplined," he said to Skyraven as he helped her load her parfleches on
to Running Antelope.

"We have had a great deal of practice," she answered, taking great pride in showing him off to the other women.
Her white man was very attentive to her.
She noted how Whispering Wind in particular stared
with admiration and perhaps even some jealousy.

"Your people never cease to amaze me.
” There was none of the laziness he’d often seen among his own, those who tried to shirk their duty. Everyone, even the children, pitched in to ready the tribe for the journey.

“We are used to packing quickly. It has been our way of life for many moons.” Skyraven made a
check
of her bundles and those of her grandfather, making sure the knots were secure.

“
  If only my people could really take the time to know yours
,
I think they would see how very foolish  they are being.
There are so many things we could learn from each other." John had been impressed at the dignified and democratic manner in which last night’s council meeting had been conducted. And to think that Chivington insisted these people were savages!

Lacing his fingers together
, John
made a step for her foot so that she could more easily mount her horse, then he cl
imbed up on his own mount.  He
had taken it upon himself to give Chief Left Hand's people an escort to the lands they were now to occupy, just in case there was any chance of trouble.
Not only did it seem the logical thing to do since he and his men were going the same direction but it gave him more time to be in
Skyraven’s
company as well.

"Fall in, men," he said, giving a signal to the others
to likewise mount up and ride. He led the procession, followed by Lieutenant Sam Dunham. The soldiers rode in a line, two by two, with the Indians following. It was a parade of men, women, and children off to seek refuge.

They traveled south, stopping only a few times to rest the horses
, in which times John
made it a point to check upon Skyraven with a protective eye. It was a difficult journey, made so by the haste
, but i
t was important to get to their destination before
there was any sign of trouble.

Near the end of the day
,
they left be
h
ind the  gently rolling hills,
wending their way slowly over  rocky and rutted ground
.  The scenery changed dramatically from
the verdant spot
where the Arapaho and
Cheyenne
vil
lages had been nestled.  This
land was
dry with its
mesquite-spotted sand hills
instead of willow and cottonwood trees
.  A range of bluffs halted the southerly meandering creek, forcing it to an easterly course for nearly a mile before it once again turned southward.  The spot where the
Arapahos
were to make camp was an area with few cottonwood and willow, a place bare of foliage.

John eyed the area with alarm. Chivington
had been far from generous in the land he had bequeathed the
Ind
ia
ns. John
felt much like Moses
,
condemning his people to the wilderness.  It looked dead
here
, with little sign of life except the few conical tents
that dotted the place and glared white in the fading sunlight.

"
Look, it
is Chief Black Kettle," Skyraven said,
interrupting John’s
bleak
thoughts. N
oting the  l
arge brimmed black  hat the chief always wore, decorated with its feathers, s
he waved cheerily at him from the distance and he responded.  "Perhaps then it will not be too bad here."

“I hope not,” he replied, not voicing his reservations.

Chief Left Hand chose to pitch his
camp
southwest of Black Kettle, eight miles away, for it was an unwritten law between the tribes to do so.  John followed, noting that the
camp
wa
s to be south of
Dawson
Bend. He watched as the new
camp
wa
s erected with the same efficiency with which the old had been torn down. Once again, the women held everything in control. He wanted to lend a hand to
Skyraven
as she put up her grandfather’s lodge and then her own, but she told him sternly that it was woman’s work.

"In my world
,
a gentleman helps a lady," he said, holding the poles together as s
he tied the top of the tripod.

She shook her head, gently pushing him away.  "In our world
,
a warrior consid
ers it beneath his dignity." 

John soon saw that it was up to the woman to unload the horses, unpack the baggage and set
up the entire camp.
Though
he wanted to help Skyraven,
he conceded to her wishes, realizing that to go against their
customs was unwise.  H
e had to admire the women's tenacity and strength.  No swooning females here. Soon the tepees dotted the sandy ground, fires blazed, food bubbled in the pots put over the fire.  Children scampered, dogs barking at their heels.  The camp
of the Arapaho had come alive.

"I will miss the trees.  There is no shade here, no birds singing,"  Skyraven's voice held a hint of sadness, though she held her head up proudly.  "Your white chief is no
t good at picking camp sites."

"You
should not be
  here
for too long. Soon you will be back among the cottonwood trees you so love.” John wasn't as
certain as he
sounded. For just a moment he wanted to
lead
them back to where they came form, where they could live off the land, but reasoned that the die had been cast and the only safe place for Skyraven’s tribe was here in this designated place.
Still, as he took his leave of Skyraven and her people, he had
a forebodi
ng that he tried to set aside, T
elling himself that Evans had already sent three thousand dollars to Colley at the fort
instructing him to use it to feed the Indians, he convinced himself that everything would
be all right
.
 

Chapter Thirty-Eight

For a few weeks after the proclamation and the Indians relocation to the Sand Creek area there was peace in the territory, interrupted only by two minor
Cheyenne
attacks.  John breathed easier, hoping perhaps the war that Chivington  envisioned would not happen after all. The threat that a contingent of rebels were again marching on
Colorado
pressed upon Chivington's mind and made him forget about the I
ndians, at least for a time.

Feeling that Major John Hanlen had experience dealing with rebels
,
Chivington sent him to Cimarron Crossing, east of
Fort
Lyon
, where
it was reported that a band of rebels had plundered a wagon train.  John was assigned to
take a unit of men and
follow the trail from
the location the train was
attacked.  He made his investigation and duly reported that the tracks led southward toward
Texas
across the Cimarron
,
and beyond bo
th Canadian rivers to the
Red R
iver
where they turned back.  He made a further report. 
He had learned through questioning the people in the surrounding area that t
he attack on the train at Cimarron Crossing had been made by a party of twenty-two rebels led by a former Coloradan who had escaped from
Denver
's prison two years before.  Though their original intent had been to recruit for the Confederate Army
,
the band of men had taken to outlawry and robbing trains, dividing
up the spoils among the gang.

John was kept informed of the gang's activities
,
which included the holdup of a stage and several other robberies, acts that infuriated Chivington.  The colonel was further incensed when one of the gang was shot and it was found that he was wearing a blue
United States
soldier's coat.  He raved and he ranted and the only respite from his anger was when five of the gang
was captured
by a Lieutenant Shoup near Beaver Creek
.  John thought it to be the end of the matter
when
Chivington took it upon himself to try the men. 
Issuing an order that he was taking the prisoners into his custody,
he proceeded to appoint a m
ilitary
commission
in the absenc
e of the United States Attorney.  John intercepted a message Chivington sent to headquarters at
Leavenworth
.  "If convicted can I approve and shoot them?" it asked.  The answer that came back was that the authority to confirm sentence of death was vested in the department commander and could not be delegated. Only the Attorney Genera
l could pass a death sentence.

The official answer slowed Chivington down
,
but it did not stop him.  He instructed that the prisoners be turned over to a Captain Cree of the newly formed Third Regiment of the Colorado
Volunteers
who left
Denver
with a large escort of  troops to take the prisoners to
Fort
Lyon
for trial.  They never arrived at
the fort, for near
Russellville, still in chains, the prisoners were shot "while attempting to escape".  John was suspicious about the matter
.  He took it
upon  himse
lf to look into the situation and
found that there had been no ra
tions drawn for the prisoners. 
Chivington never planned on them making the journey
much less completing it.

"He had them executed, Sam," he said to his friend when they were alone in the stables af
ter a short ride.  "I have a
feeling t
here was no attempted escape."

"That riff raff he calls his Colorado Volunteers are nothing but a bunch of thugs.  They make the rest of us wearing blue look bad."  Sam brushed at his uniform with a snort.  "Anyways I think you're right. 
Rumor
is that those men were taken several miles off the road and lined up for a firing squad, that they were left unburied on the plains.  Hell, they're probably still there unless they've been
devoured by the beasts of prey--
he kind that don't
have bars on their shoulders."

"A hell of a stiff penalty for nothing more than robbery.  I guess Chivington appo
inted himself judge and jury a
nd executioner."  The thought
only served
as a reminder of how ruthless the colonel could be.  How then was he expected to show any mercy to the Indians, a group of people he
did not consider fully human?

Sam had still more news.
"I heard
,” he said to John, “that when
the news of the deaths and the manner of how it was done was brought to him, Chivington sneered and remark
ed to bystanders that he told the
guard when they left that if they did not kill those fellows he would play thunder with them."

A chill shot up John’s spine.
This, this was the man to whom he had delivered Skyraven's people.  "I think it's about time I wrote to my father.  Somethi
ng has to be done and quickly.

"Chivington is dangerous
when crossed.
And I would warrant that he would do much the same to you if ever you got in his way.  Be careful, John...er, Major."

John did send a letter. He had
nev
er asked his father for anything and hated to do so now, but something had to be done quickly to save Skyraven’s people. He asked him to investigate
Col
on
el John M. Chivington. “The man is dangerous,” he wrote. “His bouts of
tempe
r border on insanity. He seems to think that he can do anything with impunity, including execute men without trial, as he did recently in the Reynolds gang case. As for the
Ind
ia
ns, he is aggravating an already dangerous situation. The
Ind
ia
ns requested that the Smoky Hill Trail through their buffalo country be closed, the hunters driven out, and the soldiers taken away. Nothing was done and thus there was retaliation by the young
Cheyenne
braves who started raiding. Even so, peace could have
been
maintained by a leader with a cool head and a knack for diplomacy.

Chivington reacted like a bull in a china closet, blustering and talking about punishing all Indians for what a few had done and fanning the flames of fear.  I think to the contrary that c
aution must be exercised on the
United States
’ part or there will surely be a bloody war. This man is at the head of his so-called army ‘volunteers,’ who are nothing more than troublemakers in some instances. All too frequently they can not tell one tribe from another and have regrettably shot at anything in the shape of an Indian, then asked questions later. I know myself one Indian chief who meant to make peace and was shot down. It will only take a few
murders of such peaceful Indians to unite all the Indians into a warlike state. Many of them want peace, but any group of people can only take so much. It seems that every time the peaceful chiefs manage to quiet their young men, the Army  shoots some more women and children. Please do what you can to expedite this matter, Dad. My suggestion is that Colonel Chivington be removed as commander of
Fort
Lyon
and the area at once.”

John sealed up his letter and gave it to the soldier in charge of the fort's mail, feeling  a little better.  He might have had his argument
s with his father but senior Hanlen
was a wise man.  At the very least he would put Chivington under scrutiny.  If that was done then John felt it was only a matter of time before he would be released from his command.

But the murder of the five Confederate prisoners
and the scattered raids on Indians
was
not the only critical matter. John learned that Evans
was increasing the pressure upon
Washington
for full authority to organize an army of volunteers
,
with the express intent of killing India
ns because h
e was certain that the tribes of the plains were intent on co
mbining into a warring force.  Some said i
t was an obsession with him, no doubt egged on by Chivington's reports. Evan's plan to
separate
the friendly Indians from the hostile Indians was not even given sufficient time to work.   Evans impatiently abandoned the plan and issued a second proclamation, this time to the people of
Colorado
Territory
, without bothering to notif
y the Indians that his previous
declaration promising friendly Indians safety had been voided.
             
John and Sam stood together, listening in stunned horror as the second proclamation was read by a grinning Chivington
,
who had at last been given his way.  "As you know
,
special
messengers have been sent to the Indians of the plains, directing the friendly to rendezvous at
Fort
Lyon
,
Fort
Larned
,
Fort
Laramie
and
Camp
Collins
for safety and protection.  We have warned them that all hostile Indians would be pursued and destroyed. The last of said messengers having now returned,  the evidence is conclusive that most of the Indian tribes of the plains are
unprincipled savages who are at war and hostile to the whites."

John piped up
before Sam could stop him.  "By
God, they're not and you know it!  I myself took a large group of the southern Arapaho under Chief Left Ha
nd to the area you instructed.
They are living
there peacefully!"

Chivington thundered in response, "Say one more word, Major and you wi
ll find yourself in the brig!"

"But...."  John was silenced by Sam Dunham's rough nudge to his r
ibs.  Wisely he held his tongue
, though his blood boiled as he listened to the contents of the proclamation.  Evans was saying that he had induced the Indians to come to the designated area
,
but that they had with a few exceptions refused to do so.  It was a lie.  John had seen Black Kettle's camp, had led Chief Left Hand to the area.  He had also been informed that Chief War Bonnet, Chief One-Eye, Chief White Antelope and a few of the ot
hers had camped there as well.

"John Evans, governor of
Colorado
Territory
, issues this proclamation, authorizing all citizens of
Colorado
, either individually or in such parties as they may organize
,
to go in pursuit of all hostile Indians on the plains."  Chivington read that as the reward
,
he authorized such citizens to take captive and hold for their own private use and benefit all property of said hostile Indians that they might capture and to receive for all stolen property recovered from said Indians such r
eward as it was deemed proper.

"Dear merciful God.
"  John's face turned white.  Evans
was giving as a reward for killing Indians permission to
their killers to
kee
p the property of their victims!
  "He's authorizing anarchy.  Doesn't he realize that, Sam?  He's handing the citizens, every one of them, a license to hunt and kill Indians with no questions asked.
”

"What are you mumbling, Major?"  Chiv
ington paused to look at John.

"I said that whether he realizes it or not, Evans is making it possible for men to kill even peaceful Indians and profit by it."
John answered back. The colonel couldn’t put him in the brig for answering a question.
"He stipulates that pursuing friendly Indians is to be avoided.  It says it right here."  He held up the doc
ument, pointing to that place.
"If you ask me
,
that stipulation is ineffective at best, at worst almost cynical.  In fact,
Sir,
whites can kill any Indian, enrich themselves with robes, horses, jewelry, and food and claim the victim was hostile.
” Though John’s comments angered
Chivington
, it did some good in that it made some of the soldiers think John had found that there were many who disliked Chivington and sided secretly with the Indians.
“
Wh
o could dispute such a claim?"

"That is not my concern!"  In a fit of temper
,
Chivington crinkled up the missive.  "A few months of extermination against these red devils will bri
ng quiet.  Nothing else will."